A leader should be strong.
A leader must deliver.
A leader must care, communicate, and carry everyone along.
But somewhere between endless meetings
and mounting targets,
leadership starts to feel like a performance.
Middle management lives in that squeeze.
You are expected to hit metrics,
manage egos upward,
and stay “inspiring” downward
while deadlines press from both ends.
Top management expects results.
Sometimes without clear direction.
Your team expects empathy.
Sometimes when they have not earned it.
And somehow,
you are supposed to give both
without breaking.
Then the thought creeps in.
What if I stopped trying to be inspiring?
What if I stopped checking on how they are doing?
What if I stopped caring beyond deliverables?
What if I chose to be a boss
instead of a leader?
After all,
a boss and a leader
earn the same salary.
What if I focused only on the technical?
On outputs.
On compliance.
It would be easier.
No more pep talks.
No more emotional labor.
No more absorbing tension that is not yours.
And if we are honest,
top management does not always check on you either.
So what if you stopped going beyond your paycheck?
Saved the amor and malasakit
for your family.
For the people who truly belong to you.
You could.
Same salary.
Less energy spent.
Less stress carried.
But then again…
If everyone did that,
who would build people?
Who would stay patient
when frustration is easier?
Who would create growth
instead of just extracting output?
Leadership is not paid for in salary.
It is paid for in impact.
And impact rarely happens
when you do the minimum.
You always have a choice.
To clock in.
Or to show up.
And the difference between a boss and a leader
is not compensation.
It is conviction.